Exception to The Rule
by Angel Leviathan
Summary: …You spent the past four hours hacking a tree down…?
1. Exception to The Rule

Title: Exception to The Rule

Author: Angel Leviathan

Spoilers: Anything, everything, season 1. Set a month after, "Before I Sleep".

Season: 1

Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis, characters, concept, etc, aren't mine.

Notes: Had my final lecture and my final Greekexam today and am finally feeling Christmassy! Woo! Merry Christmas everyone!

-

"What day is it?"

"…Thursday…" Elizabeth didn't look up from the report she was reading, replying without thinking.  
"And?"

"And what?" this time she did look up and at John Sheppard, who was standing just inside the doors, only enough so they'd close on their own. From the look on his face she was suddenly sorry she'd missed his entrance; she was sure it would have had a great similarity to the behaviour of an excited puppy.

"And are you really going to sit there and pretend you forgot its two days 'til Christmas?" John raised an eyebrow.

She sighed, "No, I haven't forgotten. I just didn't think it was appropriate to have a big celebration that focuses so much around family and togetherness…" she looked away, "I don't want it to keep hitting everyone that we just might not see everyone back home again."

"But that's the whole point!" John countered, "Come on, we're our own family out here! Its either that or have people walking around going, 'Ssssh, don't mention the C word!'! Next you'll want us to start forgetting birthdays…"

"I already tried that one, if you remember correctly," Weir mock glared at him, "and I still want to know how you found out."  
"And you're still not going to," he grinned, "Come on, Liz-" he caught the look on her face and hastily corrected himself, "Elizabeth, what's the harm?"

She gazed back at him, mulling the idea over.

"Please?"

"…You're going to do this even if I say 'no', aren't you…" she accused.

He shrugged, boyish grin still in place, "Pretty much."

Elizabeth let a smile creep across her face, "…Go on then…but whatever goes on, you're organising it, and if chaos ensues you're the first person I'm looking for!"

John smirked, "Didn't think you were like that-"

"Major Sheppard, get through that 'Gate, you should've been there five minutes ago!" she couldn't quite stop the blush that covered her cheeks.

"Yes, M'am," he threw her a mock salute and promptly vanished

-

When the 'Gate engaged four hours later and only half of her main team appeared, save for a collection of twigs clinging to them, she knew she'd made a mistake.

"Just what is-" Weir began, just as Sheppard appeared through the 'Gate, dragging something behind him, Teyla a few seconds behind, looking most unimpressed.

"Nobody here but us-"

"_Trees?_" Elizabeth finished for him, eyes wide, staring down from the control room.

"Told you she'd be angry," McKay stated.

"It's a tree!" John called up.

"I can see that!" she answered, "Where, when and how?"

"Uninhabited planet, just now, and with a collection of USAF issue knives," he shrugged, unrepentant.

"…You spent the past four hours hacking a tree down…?"

"Two hours, Doctor Weir. Major Sheppard did at least engage in the reconnaissance for some of the mission," Teyla provided her with that answer.

"Now we just need to swing by somewhere and pick up some lights," Ford grinned.

"I'll just log on to amazon dot comand order some, shall I?" McKay snapped.

"Come on, Scrooge, where's the harm? Its just a tree."

"McScrooge!" John grinned, "Happy holidays, Rodney."

"Its your funeral," the Doctor stormed from the 'Gate room, head held high.

"…Somebody steal his presents last year or something?" he frowned.

"Maybe he didn't get any," Ford shrugged.

"Boys," Weir glared down at them, "You can get away with bringing a tree back, but I'd at least like to hold a briefing sometime soon," she walked from their sight, evidently ordering to get their backsides to the conference room.

"…What are you going to do with this tree?" Teyla questioned.

"We're gonna decorate it," John grinned.

"With what?"

He frowned, "Good point…"

"_Now_, Major!" Elizabeth's voice echoed down from the control room.

"She's seems more mad that we brought a tree back than when we brought the Wraith…" Ford reluctantly began to walk away.

John shrugged, "Maybe she doesn't like green."

-

Okay, so when all was said and done, she had to admit he was right. And that he could throw a damn good Christmas party with what little resources they had. He'd even kept relatively quiet for the two days until Christmas day, and then, and only then, had all hell broken loose. Elizabeth smiled; she should never have revealed that a crate of alcohol had been included in their supplies.

It didn't matter that their Christmas dinner had been a hash of whatever they could throw together to resemble the original, including a mystery meat that Carson had declared most likely to be dangerous for human consumption.

It didn't matter that the tree wasn't decorated in the normal fashion, and that it seemed to be covered in a collection of small national flags; patches from uniforms people had donated and promised on their honour to reclaim when Christmas was over.

And it didn't matter that they were oh so alone out there. Sure, she had seem several glum faces, herself included at one point, but what was she to expect? Of course everybody missed their families. But then, John had been right. They had a family here too, and, in the great tradition, were all busy getting thoroughly trashed and singing in catastrophically out of tune voices. Now all they needed was the usual well below average Christmas programming from the local network, but she was sure somebody would throw on the worst DVD they possessed later, and everybody would still find it wonderful.

"Well, was I right or was I right?" John's voice at the door to the balcony revealed he had found her hiding place. She had been standing at the door watching her people, more content to know that they were having a good time than to get involved herself.

"And so modest about it too," Elizabeth replied, smiling, "Though if anyone tries to throw a party in the 'Gate room again…"

"There's always an exception to the rule."

"You certainly proved that."

"I think its turned out quite nicely," he grinned again, "Ford is dancing with Teyla, Carson's trying to remember the lyrics of some Scottish song nobody's ever heard of, and we've discovered that alcohol consumption actually allows McKay to talk to women without making an ass of himself. But that might have something to do with the fact that they've drunk just as much as him. Who knows?"

She smiled, silent for several moments, "…Thank you, John."

"For what?" he frowned.

"For showing us home isn't as far away as we thought," she walked through the control room to the outcropping above the 'Gate room, "Just look at them," she laughed softly, "We could be on Earth."

John leant against the railings, "Aside from the giant metal ring behind them," he smirked.

She nodded, "Aside from the giant metal ring behind them," she echoed. Elizabeth frowned when she realised he was still smirking, "What's going on…?"

He held a sprig of green above them innocently.

Weir folded her arms across her chest, "That's not mistletoe."

"You're right. It's a twig of Christmas tree. Just play along," he dared, grinning.

She remained absolutely still for several moments, debating whether or not to follow tradition and just get on with it. So she stepped forward, on her tiptoes, arms still folded, and kissed him on the cheek, "That's all you're getting, Major," she teased, shocked when she heard clapping below them and found most of her staff staring up.

"Spoilsport," John replied, ever so softly. He opted to drop the twig as another song started up, grabbing her hand, "Come on, Liz, time to dance."

"Oh no," she struggled against him as he pulled her along, "I don't dance."

"You do today."

And she did.

-

Fin

(Okay, there is another ending to this, a proper shippy one, but I didn't really want to go that way just yet. If anyone wants to see it, I'll write it and add it as a second chapter at some point.)


	2. Second Ending

Notes: Woah! Wasn't expecting a response like that! Thanks so much, everybody! Glad you liked it! Here's the shippy ending; starts just before the ending of the original. Merry Christmas!

-

"That's all you're getting, Major," she teased, shocked when she heard clapping below them and found most of her staff staring up.

"Spoilsport," John replied, ever so softly, "Come on," he took her hand.

"Where're we-" Elizabeth began, but fell silent on seeing he was returning to the balcony. Once outside, they stood side by side, in silence, just leaning on the railings and gazing out across the ocean for several minutes. She smiled, "Did you really cut down that tree yourself?"

"The team helped," he grinned, "But yeah. There's not exactly somewhere you can just drive by and pick up a tree, even with a puddle jumper. Would've been a lot easier if you'd have let me take one of those, by the way."

"You never asked!" she laughed.

"I knew if I asked you'd keep asking questions and demand to know why and then I'd have to tell you and you'd never let me go…"

"I might've done…" she protested.

John shot her a look that said it all.

"Okay, fine, I wouldn't have let you out of my sight…" she trailed off, "Wait, wait, a second…you took a puddle jumper out the other day to the mainland…"

"Yeah, to check on the Athosians…"

"Really…"

"Yeah…" he glanced away for a moment, suddenly grinning, "Thoroughly confused them with the concept of Christmas."

"Teyla seems to get getting into it…" Elizabeth smiled.

"Yeah, but like she has a choice!"

"True."

Sheppard seemed content to stare out at the ocean for a few more minutes, despite the cold air, "…Okay…real reason I went to the mainland…" he produced a small box from his pocket and held it out to her, only looking across at her for a second, then back at the ocean.

Elizabeth stared and slowly reached for the box, "…I…you…Christmas…we weren't…"

"I know. I lied."

"You aren't allowed to lie!" she smiled.

John raised an eyebrow, "Try enforcing _that_ rule," he dared.

She simply grinned at him and opened the box. Inside sat a smooth blue pendant, in the shape of a water droplet, with the symbol for Earth in the centre, in what she presumed was silver, "…You…where…?"

"Athosians. Again. I'll admit I don't know what the blue is. But I said blue and they found blue," he shrugged.

She kept staring at the pendant, "…I love it…" she traced a finger over the central symbol, "So either way, this is home…" Elizabeth said softly. She snapped the box shut, "…Thank you, John."

John half smiled in the general way men do when they don't want women to know they're ecstatic that that they've made the other happy, "No problem. Glad you like it," he grinned, again, "Do I get a proper kiss now?"

She glared up at him, one hand on her hip, "You might have, had you not said that," she couldn't keep the grin off her own face.

"Know to keep quiet next time then, don't I?"

Her hand moved from her hip to his shoulder, drawing him closer, "…You should've known to keep quiet this time…" she said softly. Yet just when she thought she was in control, she was somewhat shocked as he leaned in and kissed her. For a moment, she considered stepping away, but all thoughts of that course of action were shoved aside as she felt his arms around her, drawing her still closer to him. She pulled away for a moment and just gazed at him, whilst he tried to judge the expression on her face.

Frowning, John began to release her, "Eliza-"

She silenced him by kissing him hungrily, leaving no doubt as to how she felt about his impromptu actions. Arms sliding around his neck, she almost dropped the box containing the pendant, so caught up their kiss. Eventually they both had to part for air, breathless.

"I-" he began.

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head, "You should know better than to surprise me by now, John Sheppard."

"_Me _surprise _you?_" he breathed, staring.

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again, softly, "Merry Christmas?" she tried, innocently.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" he teased, grinning.

"Pretty much," Elizabeth smiled up at him.

"Well in that case…" he lowered his head to hers and caught her lips in a lingering kiss. John then stepped away, leaving her frowning after him, "Dance?"

She laughed quietly, "There's no music."

"Who needs music?" John held out one hand.

She put her hand in his, "Maybe you should hum loudly."

"Maybe you should," he countered.

"I don't think so," Elizabeth nestled herself close to him, arms tightly around him, one hand still clutching the small box.

He folded her into his arms with a smile, "Not bad for a first Christmas," he said softly, unable to keep the laughter from his voice.

"Not at all…" she replied, head resting on his chest.

Safe.

Home.

Elizabeth Weir gazed across the water, "…Merry Christmas, Atlantis…"

-

Fin


End file.
